Fathers' Day
by The WGPM
Summary: So, you know the movie, "Groundhog's Day"? Well, enough said. Candace finds herself reliving the third Sunday in June and, not knowing how to break the cycle, takes advantage of the situation in pretty cooky ways. Canderemy and a little Phinabella!
1. Day 1: Fathers' Day

**Hello, people who also watch Phineas and Ferb! Now, before anyone says anything, I know that there is already a Fathers' Day episode (appropriately named, "Father's Day") and that pretty much makes this entire story out of canon, but I'm just going to kinda do it anyway, 'kay? Or completely do it anyway? Great. So, as always, I don't own Phineas and Ferb. And I also don't own the movie, "Groundhog's Day." Or Despicable Me. Or Doritos. Or the Giant Floating Baby Head. Or apparently, any way to control my extra disclaimers. Even if they're completely unnecessary.  
**

* * *

Day 1  


_It's a perfect day! It's in the mid-70's. Humidity is sixty percent..._

Candace fumbled across her bedside table to reach the alarm clock. She remembered hearing parts of this song once while... Outrunning a herd of animals, or something? She didn't yet trust any outside stimuli provided by her senses, which had just begun getting used to working in the conscious world. Only her arm moved, trying in vain to find the source of the music with no sense of sight to accompany it.

_It's a perfect day; not a cl-_

All music ceased as the teen's hand finally found the snooze button. Nine minutes (that felt more like nine seconds) later, the song resumed.

_-oud in the sky and I can say __without fear of dissent..._

"But Jeremy, I told you I wanted a puppy for Christmas!" Candace complained as she forced herself up, not fully awake, and flipped the alarm clock off. Digesting what she had just said, she thought aloud, "I should wait to use that alarm until school starts." After she nearly walked out of her bedroom with one shoe on and an inside-out shirt, she mumbled, "Maybe until after school starts."

A few groggy minutes later, Candace appeared in her doorway, fully dressed. She couldn't make it halfway down the stairs from her room before tripping on a stubborn piece of the carpet.

The onomatopoeia that came from the clumsy teen were as follows: "Woah! Ahh! E-e-e-e-ack! Oof! Ugh."

Phineas and Ferb, who were already downstairs, cringed excessively at the sight of their sister laying facedown at the bottom of the stairs. "D'oooooh," Phineas winced, "Fell on your nose, huh? That _hurts_." He swallowed, looking at Ferb, who wore the same pained expression. "A _lot_."

"M-hm, nn uhn nn hnn," said Candace.

"Here, let's help you up," suggested Phineas, "And watch out for that first step. It's a doozy!"

"I'll say," agreed his sister now that she could pronounce words correctly. "Wait a minute. Ferb, did you sleep with that pencil behind your ear again?"

The boy cocked an eyebrow, and Candace reached into his mess of green hair and extracted the utensil. Ferb accepted it with what would have been an embarrassed look if he were anyone else. His sister chuckled. "Boys," she said, "How often do you have to brush your hair? What, twice a month? Don't answer that."

"Okay, but we have to get back to something," Phineas insisted, "Can't leave the root beer and peanut butter people waiting."

"Well, you do that. Wait, what? How are those things related?"

"They're not. It's called 'filler,' Candace."

"I know what filler is-"

"Oh, no!"

Startled, Phineas ran into a very smokey kitchen and thrust open all of the windows while Ferb ran to extract what was once a piece of bread from the toaster. "Well, that stinks," Phineas said between coughs, taking in the hot air, "Literally. It smells - like something - simultaneously combusted - in here."

"Is that your way of saying you burnt your toast?" Candace inquired, grabbing a glass of water for her brother. "And when was the last time _that_ happened?"

"Well, happens to everyone," Phineas explained, "And thanks for the water. But it wasn't for us, we ate an hour ago. It was for Dad."

"Really?" Candace asked, interested, "What's the occasion?"

Phineas looked at Candace like she had just asked which geometric shape his head looked like. "It's Fathers' Day," he explained, "Unless we got the date wrong, or something..."

_Great_, Candace thought,_ Forgot yet another greeting-card holiday. _"Uh, yeah, I knew that, I-I was just testing you. Yeah, that's it. And lucky you, you passed."

Phineas sighed. "It's just a shame about the toast," he started, "Oh, well. We'll just... Wait, that was the last of the bread, wasn't it?"

Ferb nodded regretfully after looking in the wastebasket to find the empty bag.

"Okay, well... I think the waffle iron's clean," Phineas decided, pulling out said iron. "Candace, you want to help us with this? I think I know the recipe, but I can't be sure."

"It's two parts water, three parts mix," Candace explained, trying to find a way out of the situation.

"Mix?"

"Yeah, it's in the pantry. Don't do anything bustable," she told Phineas before leaving.

The boys pulled out the box and read from the side; or, at least half of them did. "Original flavor waffle batter. May contain blueberries," the redhead wondered, "Huh."

* * *

"Ugh! It's noticeably warmer out here," Candace complained as she walked her bike outside to the street. "Of course, we had to completely run out of sunscreen at the beach yesterday."

"Actually, didn't Buford drink it all?"

Candace looked down to see Isabella, on her way into the backyard.

"Oh, hey, Isabella," she said, snapping a helmet on, "Going to see Phineas again?"

"Um, uh, did-did you forget Ferb?" Isabella corrected, "Anyway, where you off to this early?"

"I... I forgot that it's Fathers' Day. I'm going to go get something for Dad. And why are you only speaking in questions?"

Isabella chuckled. "Did I mention that the Fireside Girls and I are going for our Interrogatives patch?" She asked, "But the rules are really vague, you know? So, I'll see you around, right?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later. Oh, and Phineas and Ferb are inside, if they didn't burn the house down already."

"Does it look to you like they did?" Isabella observed.

"You kidding? That could easily be a hologram," joked Candace. She swung a leg over her bike. "But still. I should be leaving."

So, Candace rode off in search of something - anything - that may strike her dad's fancy. _What's my father into now?_ She thought, _Antiques, right? Where am I supposed to find something like that?_

_No, that's not right. I should give him something more personal, and not just using what I know about his work. But what?_

Wrapped up in her thoughts, the teen didn't notice that she was riding in the middle of the street. A blaring truckhorn snapped her out of it, after which she stuck to the sidewalk. Soon after she had gave up and decided to get him a card, Candace saw someone who stopped her right in her tracks.

"Je-Je-Jer-Jer-Jer-Jer-Jer-Jer..." She sounded bit like a broken record crossed with a car alarm before cartoonishly giving herself a slap in the face to snap out of it. Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own today. No matter, though; Jeremy always took off of work on Sundays, so Candace wasn't sure why she was surprised to see him.

Was her skirt dirty? Did she have bags under her eyes? Was she slouching? Did the slap leave a red mark? These, among other things, were the thoughts that had taken Candace's mind off of the reason she had even come downtown. "Jeremy!" She finally uttered, and to her fortune, the boy turned.

"Hey, uh, hi Jeremy, what-what's up? Enjoying your day?" Candace asked.

Jeremy smiled warmly, "Well, I am now, Candace; it's nice to see you here. Anyway, Suzy and I are going out to get something for our dad for today. You've met my sister, right?"

Oh, had she. "Y-yeah, we-we're acquainted," she explained as the little girl peered out from behind the boy. Suzy, the little monster - that was the only word Candace could come up with to describe the horrors that the child could unleash - she was wearing such a grin that could intimidate quite the number of people. Candace tried not to look at it.

"Anyway, um, do you mind if I just uh, you know, tag along for a while? I forgot, too..." She said, having very mixed feelings about the situation. On one side, there was the fact that she could spend the day with her one and only Jeremy; on the other, she was under constant threat of discomfort and humiliation from his sister. Little siblings, both hers and her crush's, didn't usually get along with Candace. But, she decided that whatever price must be paid to be with the boy, she could (probably) pay it. And who knows? Today might be Candace's lucky day. Imagine, standing triumphantly against the bright blue sky, the wind through her hair, as Candace showed Suzy just who is Jeremy's favorite girl, and don't you forget it!

"Candace, hellooo?" Jeremy broke into her fantasy, "I told you that you could come if you want. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Oh, I was just thinking, you know, a card would be nice... I dunno. What about you?" Candace asked, hopeful.

"Well, that's better than what we could come up with," Jeremy sheepishly started, "There's a convenience store around the block, right?"

"I think so. As long as we get past this block, we'll be fine." Candace's eyes shifted uncomfortably to Suzy as she said this. "Where are we? Wrighter's Lane, right?"

"That's the one."

And so, albeit wary of Suzy's presence, Candace made her way with Jeremy safely to 98 Wrighter's Lane. "For you, malady," Jeremy motioned as he held the door open for Candace.

"Oh, what a gentleman," the other teen contributed playfully, "Ooh! It's air-conditioned in here. Sweet."

* * *

_How is it that there isn't one Fathers' Day card here that isn't less corny than the last one?_ Candace thought as she shelved a card that read, "You're the best dad I ever had!" _And does no one in this business realize that people have stepfathers, too?_

"Caaandace?" Suzy asked sweetly, "What do you think of _this_ card?"

Willing, now, to give any one a chance to maybe be worthwhile, Candace accepted the envelope. The inscribed words were very small, and Candace had to lean in close to read them. "Have a GRAND Fathers' Day," she pronounced with a little difficulty, "Okay, now we're getting farther away."

"Just open it, Candy," taunted Suzy, still in the act, "It isn't as bad as it looks."

"It had better _not_ be," Candace threatened as she opened the card.

The first thing that came out of the card after she did so was a whole mess of confetti. And sticky confetti, at that; Candace figured she may have to wash her face to get it off. Heads in adjacent aisles perked up at the second thing that the card spewed out: loud, obnoxious music preformed by children somewhere around (maybe under) Suzy's age.

_"You _are_ the best! You _are_ the best! Above the rest, you are the best! You _are_ the best! You _are_ the best! With you, I am very impressed! You _are _the best..."_

"Ack!" Candace shouted, "What's wrong with this card!?"

"Candace?" Jeremy looked up from his inspection of another card, one printed on fine stationary that probably had a more meaningful message than any of the ones Candace opened. "What's going on? What's that - what happened to your face?"

"Ah! I can't get it to stop singing," the girl complained, "I closed it, but it's still going."

_"You _are_ the best! You _are_ the best! Really, though; who would have guessed? You _are_ the best! You _are_ the best! You'd surely win ev'ry contest!"_

"It's not stopping! Oh, I'm so sorry, Jeremy, I - I didn't think - I mean, Suzy-"

"Suzy?" Jeremy laughed, "Say no more. Come on, let's just put this back. And Suzy, maybe you should stop playing with the musical cards."

_"You _are_ the best! You _are_ the best! With you as my dad, I sure am blessed!"_

The song was followed by a long and out-of-key vocal outro. "_That_ was the worst one yet," Candace complained, "Unless Phineas and Ferb made one, that's definitely the most inappropriate card ever."

"Well, then let's hope your brothers left getting a card to you," reasoned Jeremy, "I'm sure some fresh air will help. That was almost traumatic!"

_Yeah, almost_, Candace thought, _Compared to what else Suzy's done to me._

* * *

"Aw, man, you just missed it!" Phineas started, "That bird just chased that squirrel across the street!"

The boy beamed for a second at his sister as she and Jeremy headed up the steps leading to the Flynn-Fletcher house. After taking a closer look at Candace's face, he grimaced, "Woah, Candace. What happened?"

"Just... Having a bad day," the teen sighed. "And don't ask about it. You wouldn't believe the answer."

Phineas chuckled. "Well, carry on, then," he instructed, "And don't mind the barbecue."

"Barbecue?"

"I guess we'll see soon enough," Jeremy said while ushering Candace to the hallway. "Suzy, you can stay here with Phineas and Ferb, okay?"

"Okay, Jeremy," the little girl replied cutely, "Come on, Phineas and Ferb! Let's have some fun!"

"One step ahead of you, Suzy," Phineas said as he and Ferb accompanied her out of the door.

Leaving Candace to wash her own face in peace, Jeremy waited outside the bathroom door. Inside, things were actually going quite smoothly. It did take some water to get most of the streamers off, but once they came into contact with it they peeled away pretty easily. To drain some of the color from her skin though, Candace was forced to use hand soap on her face.

Not a good idea in the least.

The inevitable, which has a habit of happening, did at the moment Candace rubbed too hard with soapy hands on her right eye. Jerking her hands back under the gushing water to clean them of the disinfectant, she waited no more than a second before grabbing at her own eyeballs to ease the pain. Instant tears welled up in Candace's eyes as a natural reaction, and when the stinging became almost too much, a small shout in pain escaped the teen.

_Nice going, Flynn_, Candace thought as Jeremy knocked and entered the small room. _Crying right in front of Jeremy._

_Eh, it's not as bad as it seems, _she concluded as the boy asked her to take her hands off of it._ I could have been blinded._ Just to make sure, though, she covered her left eye to see if her vision was damaged_._ Fortunately, it looked (no pun intended) like she was going to be alright._  
_

"Ugh, I think I'll be okay," Candace winced, "Is my eye red?"

"A little bit around the edges," replied Jeremy, "Just run it under the sink for a few minutes. It'll go away."

"Okay. Wait... You're talking about the redness, right? My eye isn't going to..?"

"No, no. Just get it under there."

* * *

As Candace slammed out the screen door to her backyard, she counted the times she hurt herself today. One, she fell down the stairs. Two, she slapped herself. Three, confetti flew out of an obstreperous Fathers' Day card and hit her in the face. (Three and a half if you count the annoying and embarrassing music that followed.) Four, she got soap in her eye.

_I'm beginning to sense a pattern here_, Candace concluded, finally taking a look at her backyard. _So, _this_ is what Phineas meant by 'barbecue.'_

The Flynn-Fletcher backyard usually had a definite area, but Candace was sure that today it looked the faintest bit larger. How this was possible, Candace wasn't sure; it probably had something to do with how the empty lot next to the house was also occupied by the same party of people that was in the backyard, but the teen dismissed the thought. In the seemingly extended backyard, there was in fact a large gathering of people. Children and adults alike chatted with each other, played water games, and gorged themselves on hamburgers and hot dogs that someone started grilling. There were umbrellas, insects, and talk of vacation plans. The garden hose provided entertainment for Suzy and some of the children her age, and Candace made a note not to approach that side of the house.

"Candace?"

At the familiar sound of her father's voice, said teen turned sharply. "Dad!" She called, "Hey, happy Fathers' Day."

"Oh, thank you, darling. Enjoying the festivities?" Lawrence inquired.

"Well, I just got out here. How long have you and Mom been planning this?"

"Oh, the picnic? Your brothers organized it. They are grand, aren't they?"

"Phineas and Ferb got this started? Ugh, I should have known! Where's Mom?"

"Oh, she's over there chatting with some of the neighbors. Why do you-"

"Great Dad love ya!" Candace called as she sped off to find her mother.

"Mom!" She shouted, interrupting a heated conversation between Linda and a few neighborhood mothers. The subject was quilting. "Hey, do you see this? You know that Phineas and Ferb started it, right? Are they busted, or what?"

"What, Candace," Linda dismissed.

"I said, are they busted, or-"

"I heard you."

"Wow. So, wait, you're okay with them throwing a party out here, but not me?" The teen was horrified.

"What party?" Her mom teased, "All I see is an intimate get together."

"Mo-om."

"Okay, okay. Still, this is nice. You should enjoy it with everyone else." She snickered, "You might have to. The boys may have started a tradition."

Candace sighed. "Well, if you want me, I'll be doing whatever Jeremy's doing."

* * *

"Candace, watch out!" Phineas urged, but it was too late. "Isabella, you were supposed to _catch_ that water balloon."

"Was it my fault you threw too long?" Isabella questioned, "Oh, are you okay, Candace?"

"I'm fine, just wet," the teen said, "And lucky you, you missed my face. But now my skirt's all dirty..."

"Sorry about that. And it looks like we lost the water balloon toss," Phineas said, "I wonder who won."

"Victory!" An overexcited Irving cried triumphantly, seeing that he and Ferb were the only two people not disqualified (but not seeing that he was still expected to participate, hence his getting hit square in the face with a thrown balloon). "Oh, well; we still won!" He exclaimed. Ferb just whistled innocently.

"Well, that was fun anyway," Phineas concluded. He turned to Isabella. "Want to go grab some lemonades?"

"Is that a question?" Isabella agreed happily.

And so, the two (plus Ferb) walked over to a cooler and retrieved their drinks. "They're cute, aren't they?" Said a voice from behind that startled Candace.

"What who? Oh, hi Jeremy, what-what were you saying?"

"Your brother and that girl Isabella. Look how well they're getting along," explained Jeremy as he handed Candace one of two ice cream comes he had bought from a passing truck.

Indeed, Isabella did look like she was enjoying herself in the presence of the boy. He had handed her his lemonade, trying to get her to open it for him. She had more success than her partner, but when Isabella got it open the container started spurting lemonade up at her. Playfully, she aimed it back to the boy who shoved it away at first, but finally admitted defeat and accepted the drink. The two laughed and laughed, then Phineas and Ferb high-fived at their joke. Carbonated lemonade. Gets 'em every time.

"Yeah, you could say that," Candace told Jeremy. "Wait, you are talking about Phineas, right?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"No one, I just... Hey, where's Perry?"

* * *

_Yes!_ Candace thought,_ It worked! I successfully summoned a line break!_

_Although, now is a strange time to pick up..._

"Here, I got the aloe. Just rub it on your shoulders and don't touch it," Jeremy instructed, handing Candace a bottle. "Those are some burns, huh? Do they hurt?"

"Only when I touch them," Candace replied, referring to her sunburnt shoulders and arms. "But it's not that bad; it just kind of stings."

"Alright then, take it easy. In any case, did you have fun today?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I tripped down the stairs, was humiliated in public, hit with a water balloon, fell off a chair, got my hair caught in a fan, and got hideously sunburnt, but I was able to hang out with you for a while, and that was nice."

"Well, that's good to hear. Anyway, I have to leave now. My parents want me home by eight today in time to meet the root beer and peanut butter people. Don't ask."

"I believe you, Jeremy," Candace began, "Will I see you tomorrow then?"

"Sadly, no. I work Mondays, remember? I'll call you on my break, though."

Candace smiled. "Alright. So long then."

"So long, Candace." And just like that, he was gone. And working tomorrow. Today wasn't that bad, though, taking into consideration the circumstances. Candace had given her dad (with help from her brothers) one of the best Fathers' Days she could, so by her calculations she didn't have to worry about that until next year.

That night, Candace's horrible sunburns were the only thing that kept her from sleeping well. That is, until she awoke the next morning to the same alarm, to relive the same day. Over and over again.

Fathers' Day.

* * *

**So, yeah, I made the cover image. It's a parody of the "Groundhog's Day" cover. Just wanted to put that out there. Ten points to anyone who caught the writer's block joke!  
**

**And no, I'm not incredibly late, making a Fathers' Day story at the end of July. I'm just really, really early. It all depends on when (or if) your country actually celebrates it.  
**


	2. Day 2: Fathers' Day Again

**Yay, we're back! I own nothing.**

* * *

Day 2  


_It's a perfect day! It's in the mid-70's. Humidity is sixty percent..._

This... Sounded familiar. _When was the last time I heard this particular song?_ Candace wondered subconsciously. _While outrunning a heard of animals, right? No, it had to have been more recent. I'll have to wait until my brain works more to find out, _Candace concluded.

_It's a perfect day; not a cloud in the sky and I can say without fear of dissent..._

Whatever the occasion, Candace decided that it was best to at least turn the alarm off. Moaning quietly, Candace picked up her head and swiped at the 'off' switch.

_Oh, that's it. This song was yesterday's alarm, too. That's weird, this station usually has a pretty wide variety of songs they play, _Candace mused,_ but there's nothing I can do about that._

So, as she would on any other day, Candace slipped into her deep pink shirt and white skirt, fumbled a belt of the same shade of pink through its loops, and tucked her feet into their everyday socks and shoes, this time without difficulty. Candace headed out and down the stairs, thinking, _Now, isn't there something I have to watch out for from yesterday?_

A convenient reminder in the form of a stubborn piece of the carpet showed Candace exactly what she had forgotten. As she fell down the stairs again, the onomatopoeia that came from the clumsy teen were as follows: "Woah! Ahh! E-e-e-e-ack! Oof! Ugh."

"So to recap, four large orders of root beer and six of peanut butter," summed up Phineas, on the phone with someone who probably wasn't a little young to be on the other line.

Ferb cleared his throat.

"_Seven_ of peanut butter," the redhead corrected. A few seconds passed, and he continued before hanging up, "Yes. Yes, I am."

Phineas and Ferb, who were already downstairs, cringed excessively at the sight of their sister laying facedown at the bottom of the stairs. "D'oooooh," Phineas winced, "Fell on your nose, huh? That _hurts_." He swallowed, looking at Ferb, who wore the same pained expression. "A _lot_."

"Mpf mm um-m-mm," said Candace.

"Here, let's help you up," suggested Phineas, "And watch out for that first step. It's a doozy!"

"Yeah, yeah, just like yesterday. And not one word outta you," remarked his sister now that she could pronounce words correctly. The last line was directed towards Ferb. "Hey, what's going on with the narration? The exact same words were used yesterday."

"Um... I don't remember that, Candace," said Phineas, "And since when did you break the fourth wall?"

Countered his sister, "Since when did you burn toast? Anyway, I'm meeting Stacy at the mall today and I don't want any of your shenanigans getting in our way."

"Uh, we haven't actually made toast in a while, and I thought you were going out tomorrow. Anyway, we're going to be staying here today to give Dad the best Fathers' Day ever! You know, unless we got the date wrong, or something..."

"Hm, I think you did. Phin, Fathers' Day was yesterday. This whole scene doesn't feel familiar to you?"

"No... Candace, are you feeling all right?"

Candace sighed. "You've got to be pulling on my leg. Well, you know what? You just keep doing what you're doing. I'm going over to Stacy's before this gets any weirder. Remember: Two parts water, three parts mix," she told Phineas before leaving.

"Mix?"

"Oh, this had better not keep going on all day."

* * *

"Wow, it's like, as hot as yesterday," Candace complained as she walked her bike outside to the street. "Oh, put a sock in it. This is so... Déjà vu. It's like I've done this before. I mean, this is so... Déjà vu. It's like I've done this before. Wait a sec - I _have_ done this before, haven't I? Oh, my gosh, it's like I'm reliving yesterday! What - how did _that_ happen? What can I do!?"

Having finally realized that the narration wasn't going to change until she came upon that conclusion, Candace put her bike back in the garage and tried her best to sort things out there. "Okay, so, this time yesterday, where was I? Oh, I have no idea! Let's see, uh, what did I do today that was different from yesterday?" At this point, Candace pulled out a notebook to record her findings. "I know! I got up nine minutes later because I hit the snooze on that alarm clock. Then I, uh, oh, I messed up getting dressed, and I did not get downstairs quick enough to see Phineas finish that call. I fell down the stairs and caused Phineas and Ferb to burn the toast, told them about the waffle mix, and came out here." After doing a series of complicated arithmetic problems that could only have been created by the intricate mind of Candace Flynn, said mathematician decided, "That puts me at about ten or so minutes behind when I came out here yesterday. That means that in ten or so minutes, Isabella should come out here looking for my brothers."

She thought for a moment, then continued, "Yeah, that'll do. I'll wait to see if she comes. This could, after all, be a trick. I bet Phineas and Ferb bribed the narrator to do this. Yeah, that's totally possible."

* * *

Ten or so minutes later, Candace was busy playing Ruins Run on her cell phone when a curious little girl spotted her in her hiding place in the garage. "Whatcha doin'?" She greeted.

"Oh, just losing Ruins Run for the sixtieth time," retorted the teen, looking up from the game. "How about you, Isabella? Looking for my brothers, as usual?"

"What do you mean, 'as usual'?"

"Well, what I mean is, you and I never hang out or do anything together. It would be nice to one day; I'm just saying."

"Alright, Candace, what do you want?" Asked Isabella. Candace noticed the girl's efforts in making sure each of her sentences ended in a question mark, and hoping that her suspicions wouldn't be confirmed, Candace dismissed the fact as mere coincidence.

"I think my brothers are playing a little prank on me. What day is today?"

"Well, did you check your calendar? Isn't it Sunday? Oh, do you mean Fathers' Day?"

"Ugh! It's just like I thought. Phineas and Ferb must have gotten you into this, too. Either that, or..." Candace swallowed hard at the possibility, "...Or I really _am_ trapped in today."

"What are you talking about?" Isabella asked.

Candace sighed. "Nothing, Isabella. Don't worry about it. My brothers are inside if you want them."

"Uh, well, in that case, have a good day, okay?" Candace sensed the difficulty of making a farewell into a question, and while it would be weird if she didn't know why Isabella had done so, the teen admitted that the girl had done a good job in her choice of words.

"Bye, then," she called after Isabella, "And good luck with that Interrogatives Patch!"

Isabella turned. "How did you know that?" She wondered.

"I won't pretend that you don't know. So don't ask," Candace replied flatly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Did I ever say that there are things I'll never understand about you, Candace?" Isabella muttered, not loud enough for the teen to hear.

* * *

_Alright, so is this all a prank, or am I stuck? There's only one way to find out,_ Candace reasoned,_ Phineas and Ferb might have gotten to Isabella and the narrator, but there is no _way_ Stacy'd be in on it too._

Awkwardly drawing a breath, Candace raised her hand and gave a few sharp knocks to the Hiranos' house. "I'll get it!" Called a voice from inside, calm as water. When Stacy opened the door to meet Candace, she looked anything but.

The Japanese teen had on her signature blue pajamas, fluffy white slippers and messy hair. The most stunning thing about her appearance was her lack of a bow.

"Candace?" She asked.

"Stacy?" Candace exclaimed, equally shocked.

"What are you doing here?" Stacy asked, "You want to hang out? Well, you can, but it's still a little early."

"Er... Can I come in? I have to talk to you about something."

"Oh, sure, Candace, anything at all," Stacy replied with a smile. The two headed inside, Candace to the living room and Stacy to the kitchen, where she politely asked her mother if Candace could stay there for a while. The woman politely allowed it.

"Okay, Candace, what's up? Is this about your brothers, Jeremy, Ducky Momo, or something completely unrelated?" Stacy asked her best friend.

"I'm going to go with the last one," Candace started, "But we shouldn't talk here. Let's go to your room, okay?"

"Fair enough," Stacy reasoned, "Follow me."

"Wait, I just remembered," Candace whispered as she and Stacy advanced deeper into the hallway. "Is Ginger awake yet?"

Stacy chuckled. "Not yet," she snickered while slightly opening the door to her younger sister's room. The girl was still in her bed, the blankets on the floor. Her face was mashed into the mattress, and her back arched over her legs so that her bottom was in the air. "She sleeps late," Stacy teased while Candace smirked.

* * *

Candace closed the door behind her, stepped over a couple of magazines on the floor, and sat next to Stacy on her friend's bed. "So, what's going on?" Stacy inquired, "Did you run out of marshmallow fluff or something?"

"No, that's not - what? No! I need your help. Either Phineas and Ferb are playing a trick on me, or something is very wrong with the universe. So, today's Monday, right?"

"It's summer vacation. I don't really keep track of that, why do you ask?"

"Well, because so far everyone I met today has been saying it's Fathers' Day and acting the exact same way they did yesterday. It's kinda getting on my nerves."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Stacy assured, "Last time I checked, tomorrow's Fathers' Day."

The door swung back open, and in ran Ginger, tugging at her sister's arm. "Hey, girls, want to go into the kitchen? Did you hear Mom calling us?"

"Um, no." Stacy gave in, "We're coming."

Phineas and Ferb sat at the Hirano kitchen table, waiting for the girls. "Oh, there you are, Candace," Phineas greeted, "I thought you'd be here."

"What do you want?" Asked Candace with a hint of annoyance, "Let me guess. You're organizing another picnic and want me to come help you set it up?"

"It was Dad's idea. How did you know?"

"The same thing happened yesterday, that's how. Listen, I want you to quit all this right now, okay? I've had enough of this little joke, and if you think it's funny, too bad, because I'm done with it. Today's Monday, the day after Fathers' Day, and I know that, so please knock it off."

"Oh, Candace. I think you're mistaken. Today's Sunday," Mrs. Hirano explained. "I don't know what kind of trick you boys are playing on your sister, but it's clearly making her angry."

"Ugh, I guess I was right," Candace mused, "Stacy, when _was_ the last time you checked?"

"I dunno, I told you I don't really keep track."

"Well, then do I have a story for you. I know this is going to sound absolutely crazy, but I'm reliving yesterday. If today really is Fathers' Day, then there must be some sort of time loop or something I'm trapped in, because I've already gone through that. And, Ferb? There's a pencil in your hair."

Dr. Hirano skeptically glanced at her daughter's best friend as Ferb extracted the utensil. Phineas thought about the situation a little more and asked, "Is this like that time when you heard a rumor that Ducky Momo was being cancelled and you went into denial about everything?"

* * *

In a flashback, Candace remembered pouting on the floor in her room, curled into a ball and clutching her plushie. "Candace, it's dinnertime!" her mother had called from downstairs.

"No, it's not!" She cried, and squeezed the duck tighter.

* * *

Another time, she had a burning desire to go swimming at the town pool. "But Candace, it's _winter_," Phineas reminded his sister, "The ground is literally covered with snow."

"No, it's not!" The girl insisted.

* * *

"Candace, I'm telling you. The sky is the color blue," Linda informed.

"Well, obviously," Candace agreed, a scornful look on her face.

"Oh, so you're out of your-"

"No, I'm _not_!"

* * *

"No, it's not!" Candace snapped, "That didn't happen. This is."

Phineas sighed and arrived at a conclusion. "A time loop? Ferb, I know what else we're going to do today!" He acclaimed.

"I don't think you can help me," Candace insisted, "At the end of today, nothing you do will make a difference; you know, if this keeps up. I'm just going to ride this one out until the morning. For now though, I should just go."

"If you're leaving, make sure to say hi to your parents for me," Stacy's mother instructed. The door closed behind the Flynn-Fletcher siblings at the conclusion of her sentence.

* * *

The rest of that day was not easy for Candace. She relied only on her hope that the loop would be over by the time she next woke up. Phineas and Ferb pulled off their Fathers' Day picnic - again - and most of the same happenings occurred in the yard what with Candace's vow to not take advantage of the situation in which she found herself. Her brothers kept the promise for the same reason. On the bright side, the teen did manage to avoid beating herself up as much as she did the first time, and Jeremy didn't fail to make an appearance. In fact, the next time anyone brought up the repeating day was when Candace went to bed that night.

She heard a knock on the door. Behind it were Phineas and Ferb. "Hey," Phineas whispered.

"Hey," Candace greeted, just as quietly.

"So, um, we brought you this," the boy said, holding out a bright orange, newly sharpened pencil.

"The pencil from this morning."

"Yes," Phineas nodded. He then snapped it in half. "Put this on your bedside table," he instructed, handing his sister the broken pencil. "Either it's there and broken in the morning or in one piece in Ferb's hair. You should be able to figure out what day it is by where the pencil is."

"Uh, thanks," Candace said. "I'll do that. Good night, now."

She pulled her brothers in for a quick group hug. "If it isn't there, please tell us," Phineas requested, and Ferb agreed.

"I'd hate to walk around with it all day without knowing," he offered.

"I'll see what I can do," Candace promised, "But really, good night. Whatever happens, I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," Phineas repeated, moving towards the door. "We love you."

Candace stared at the pieces of the pencil in her hand. "I love you, too," she smiled, and the door closed.

She headed back to her bed, and placed the snapped utensil on her nightstand. The only sounds were those of crickets singing outside. _Will this be the last time I hear this particular song?_ Candace wondered. _I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out._

_Well, if this 'tomorrow' ever comes._


	3. Days 3-6: Practice and Day 7: Phinabella

**Yep, it's the Phinabella chapter. It's a bit... Different.**

* * *

Day 3  


_It's a perfect day! It's in the mid-70's. Humidity is sixty percent..._

_Oh, come on!_ Candace panicked. She looked through drowsy eyes at her nightstand, where a certain pencil wasn't. _Okay, if I do everything exactly like the first day, I might escape this,_ she thought, _It can't hurt to try._

_It's a perfect day, not a cl-_

_Wait, it _can_ hurt,_ Candace realized, turning the alarm off. _A fall down the stairs, soap in my eye, and a couple of nasty sunburns had better be worth it._

Candace tried her best to recreate the first day. Putting up with her brothers, Suzy, and her own clumsiness wasn't as difficult as it was the last time, and Candace discovered that it was interesting to know exactly what was going to happen and when. It was a feeling that she could - and surely would - get used to.

This was because, despite Candace's efforts, the day continued to repeat. Holding onto the hope that all would be right soon if she continued to not mess up her routine, Candace was able to repeat her actions and dialogue from the first day over and over again.

Until, of course, she wasn't.

* * *

Day 7

The fifth morning after making the resolve, Candace broke it like one would break an indicational pencil. "Okay, that's it!" She stormed, flipping off the alarm. "There will be no more of this Missy Nice Candace. Now we do things for real, universe!" The teen shook her fist at the ceiling with this vow.

Getting dressed was a blur. The girl sped out of her room, slid down the staircase railing, and rushed out into the kitchen where her brothers were, making the same phone call they had every day. "Hey, Phineas, Ferb," she greeted halfheartedly. She took no care in grabbing the pencil from the clutches of Ferb's abnormally colored locks. "For you, bro. Gotta run," she said, handing over the utensil. Candace was gone as soon as she came, leaving her brothers open-mouthed and with furrowed brows. No one spoke until Phineas realized that he was still on the phone.

"Wh-What's that?" He stuttered into the mouthpiece, "Oh, yes. Yes I am."

* * *

The teen almost ran crazily out the front door to face the world, but she came to a realization at the last second. "Wait a minute," she started, "I-I can do anything today. If today keeps repeating like it has been, then nothing I do will have any effect on my life, ever! Oh, this is great! I would burst into song if the circumstances were different!"

_Now, if I could do anything, what would I do? _Candace thought as she headed out the front door. _Well, that's a dumb question,_ she realized,_ I would bust my brothers, for real._

_But wait, if I actually busted them and the day keeps repeating, they won't actually be busted. That's not fair, that's not fair at all!_

Candace grumbled out the door and across the street, not quite sure what she was doing. So she just kept walking, eventually finding herself at the front door of Isabella's house. Suddenly, the idea struck her - such a silly idea, and Candace thought herself foolish to have expected it to work, but when she could do anything, she figured, why not?

The teen knocked happily on the door, and let herself in once Vivian opened it. She knew that if she hadn't, they would stand there for fifteen minutes while Isabella's mother rambled on about how tall Candace had gotten or where were her braces? "Hola, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro," Candace greeted once she was a safe distance inside. "Uh, may I speak with Isabella for a moment?"

"Oh, sí, sí. She should be in her room. Did I mention how pretty you look today?" Candace had sped off by the time she heard the last sentence start to form.

"Unn, What?" Isabella snapped awake at the sound of her door opening. "Uh, hi, Candace; whatcha doin'?"

"Well, first of all, good morning. And second, what are _you_ doing, sleeping at your computer?"

"...Are you wondering if I was up too late looking at pictures of Phineas?" Isabella explained, groggy from her nightly endeavor and uncomfortable sleeping position. "Seriously, though, why are you here at this hour? What time is it, anyway?"

Candace chortled, "Late enough. So, I was wondering if you can help me with something. I've been reliving today for about a week by now, and I'll be honest, I'm getting kind of sick of it."

Isabella sat upright, trying to look as sophisticated as she could in her pj's and unkempt hair. She wiped her mouth to remove any drool that could have escaped. "What can I do?" She asked slowly, beginning to grasp the situation.

"I need some... Whaddyacallit... Action. If I can get around to actually doing something worthwhile, maybe I can get out of the cycle. I _would_ ask my brothers to help, but they would probably take the time machine out and mess things up even worse."

Isabella considered her options. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" She inquired, not yet familiar with her friends' sister.

"I guess there's no way to prove it, but a little birdy told me you are going for a certain Interrogatives patch today, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm magical," Candace stated. "Anyway, is there anything in the Fireside Manual about repeating days, or time loops?"

"Do you really think that would be in there?"

"...Fair point, but are you going to help me or not?"

Thinking for a moment, Isabella asked, "What's in it for me?"

Candace laughed. "You _do_ know who you're looking at, right? _I_ can hook you up with Phineas if you're interested."

"...Would you like to continue?"

Her plan ready to be acted upon, Candace did so. "I'm going to need you to knock it off with the questions. They'll only make things harder."

"Why? What about the patch?"

"Ah, you will have the chance to do that tomorrow and..." Candace looked out of the bedroom window, saying, "Oh hi, Phineas. Nice bathing suit."

"Oh, my gosh! Hi, Phine-! Hey, wait a second, you were just tricking me!" Isabella complained, landing a playful sock to Candace's arm.

"Hey, check it out. It _does_ say 'Gullible' on the ceiling." Candace paused, waiting for the girl to look up. "Seriously, why is there a big, spray painted word across your ceiling?"

"Don't ask," Isabella said flatly, crossing her arms. A moment later, she gave in. "Alright, you have a deal. I'll be over when you're ready."

* * *

"Alright. The bait is on the hook, the Dorito has left the bag, and the lettuce is out of the salad," Candace summed, "Now, you just have to wait and leave everything to me."

"Well, if you're sure it'll work, it can't hurt to try," Isabella agreed.

"That's the spirit! Now, here he comes." With this, the teen slid out of the room and watched from the doorway as her redheaded brother entered it.

A tap on her shoulder directed Candace's attention to her other sibling, an unimpressed look plastered on his rectangular face. "Lettuce?" He whispered, appearing to be angry.

"Uh, well, I just thought..."

"I prefer cabbage."

Candace sighed in relief. Ferb was always forgiving, and he wouldn't jeopardize the operation out of dislike for the code word Candace had chose to represent him. "Great. Now, be quiet and don't mess this up for Isabella and Phineas." Ferb simply nodded in cooperation.

Inside the living room, things were going smoothly. Isabella had directed the conversation to an appropriate place. "So, do you like dancing?" She asked, hopeful.

"Oh, sure," started Phineas, "You've seen how many spontaneous musical numbers Ferb and I have done."

"Hm, that's true. Hey, how about we do one now?"

"Right now?"

"Sure."

Phineas strolled over to a speaker on the wall, ready to start a song. "Any requests?" He asked.

"Well, I do have one." Isabella invited, flashing a 'Do it, do it now,' look in Candace's general direction. The teen got the signal and pressed a button on her cell, wirelessly starting up the song.

The boy backed away from the speaker as it started spewing out lyrics. "Woah, how did-" he listened more carefully to the tune, realizing why it sounded so familiar. "Hey, I love this song!" He beamed.

_'Bow, chicka bow wow!'_  
_That's what my baby says!_

Isabella smiled grandly. "So do I."

_And my heart starts pumpin'._

"_'__Chicka chicka choo-op'_," Phineas sang along, advancing the girls' plan quickly.

Isabella did backup, just like she had onstage. "_Never gonna stop!_"

"_'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you!_" They both exclaimed, and Isabella dropped out for a few lines.

_My baby's got her own way of talkin',  
Whenever she says something sweet._  
_And she knows it's my world she's a-rockin',_  
_Though my vocabulary's incomplete!_

"How true," Candace snickered from where she watched behind the doorway. To Phineas's dismay, Isabella sang the next stanza.

"_I know it may sound confusin';_  
"_I wish that I could give it to ya straight!_  
"_But I'd never feel like I'm a-losin'_  
"_If you'd take the time to translate;_

"_Here's what I'm talkin' 'bout!_

"_'Bow, chicka bow wow!'_"

Phineas, wanting to get back in somehow, decided that he would take backup for this chorus.

"_That's what my baby says!_"

_'Mow, mow, mow!'_

"_And my heart starts pumpin'!_"

Behind the doorway, Ferb offered his sister a hand and they started to dance and sing as well.

_Oh, 'Chicka chicka choo-op!'_

_Never gonna stop!_

_'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you!_

"_Well, I don't know what to do_," Phineas continued, demanding his proper place.

"(_I don't know what to do!)_" Isabella and Candace repeated.

"_But I think I'm gettin' through..._" Phineas's face showed that the lyrics were the truth.

"_(I think you're gettin' through!)_"

"_'Cause when I say, 'I love you'..._"

"_(When ya say, 'I love you'!)_"

"_You say, 'I gitchee gitchee goo you, too!'_"

"_I gitchee gitchee goo you, too!_"

"_Gitchee gitchee goo you, too!_"

"_Gitchee gitchee goo you, too!_"

_I won't need a dictionary._

_'Bow, chicka bow wow.'  
That's what my baby says!  
'Mow, mow, mow!'  
And my heart starts pumpin'!  
'Chicka chicka choo-wop.'  
Never gonna stop!_

_'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you!_

"_I said, 'A-bow chicka bow wow'!_" Phineas sung with the soundtrack. He held one of Isabella's hands above their heads and spun her in a circle.

"_That's what your baby says!_" Candace and Isabella told him. The younger one held on and waltzed around the room with her partner.

_'Mow, mow, mow!'_

Ferb took both of his sister's hands and slid underneath and through her legs, then kee-ed up, spun in a 540 degree turn, and continued to dance on her other side.

_And your heart starts pumpin'!_

Candace preformed the classic hand-in-fist heart-pumping motion, turning this way and that with each gesture.

_'Chicka chicka choo-wop!'_

All four children exploded into, "_Ah, I'm never gonna stop!_"_  
'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you!  
__'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you!_  
_'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you, baby!_

___Baby!_

___Bay-bay!_

Ferb's delivery of, "___Babe-ah, babe-ah, babe-ah, babe-ah!_" was so in tune even Candace couldn't tell the difference.

___'Gitchee gitchee goo' means that I love you!_

At the conclusion of the song, Phineas dipped Isabella. Ferb let go of Candace and the two peered into the living room to see Isabella bury her head into Phineas's chest and smile, tears in her eyes.

Phineas brought the girl back to her feet, hugged her tightly, and whispered, "I gitchee gitchee goo you, too."

* * *

**So, if you didn't catch it, Isabella admitted her feelings through one of the first songs ever written for the series. I changed some of the lyrics on purpose to do this; note where there are or are not quotation marks.**


	4. Days 8-12: Pranks and Days 13-76: Ideas

Day 8  


_It's a perfect day! It's in the mid-70's. Humidity is sixty percent..._

_This again!_ Candace snapped, once again shutting off the alarm, _What gives, universe?_

She sped down the stairs once again, meeting her brothers in the kitchen. All the while Phineas was talking, Candace stared into his face. The last time she had seen him, he was a changed man; discovering Isabella's true feelings had made the rest of the day quite a rush, giving Candace the hope that maybe, just maybe, she had done enough. Now, it was as if none of that had ever happened, and the teen's heart sank.

"Yes. Yes, I am," Phineas concluded, hanging up the phone. "How you doing, Candace?"

Candace made a so-so motion with her hand. "Phin, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, ask away."

"Okay, um, what do you think of Isabella?"

Phineas and Ferb exchanged glances. "Well, that's kinda out of the blue..." The redhead started, "But I'm really happy to have her as a friend. She's so nice, her singing voice is pretty, and man, she has to be the cutest thing in the universe - that I've seen anyway; I mean, who knows if there's some alien out there whose sole purpose is to be cute? She's always ready to help in a project, she's smart and strong, she's witty, a good singer, an excellent leader, and did I mention her voice?"

"Tree times," Candace stated.

"Right. Anyway, why do you ask? Am I on Candace camera or something?"

"_Candid_ camera?"

Phineas shifted in his seat. "...Yeah. Slipped up a little."

His sister giggled. "No, you're not being recorded."

"Good, 'cause I haven't brushed my hair yet. Can you tell?"

"Ask the pencil in Ferb's hair."

Ferb took the utensil out of his cabbage-colored bangs. _I'll never get tired of those faces_, Candace thought, referring to the mixed expressions splayed across Phineas's triangle and Ferb's rectangle.

"Well, I've got some things to do," the teen started. "You boys have fun, and say hi to Dad for me." She grabbed a granola bar on her way out.

"I wonder if she knows it's Fathers' Day," Phineas contemplated, and Ferb just shrugged. Sometimes, Candace was as hard to read as he was.

* * *

"Now, what's on the agenda today..?" Candace mused, munching on the breakfast bar. It wasn't as filling as the teen might have wanted it to have been, but with so many possible things to do, there simply wasn't time for anything else. "Well, where is everyone right now? Mom, Dad, Phineas, and Ferb are at home, duh, Jeremy's probably leaving to go downtown about now, Stacy's at her house, and Ginger's still sleeping." She chuckled at the memory. "Isabella's also sleeping," she realized, "There's some sort of pattern here.

"But, there's only one way to find out!" The decision made, Candace grabbed her bicycle and rode around town, coming to a stop in front of the house of her victim. She hopped off the bike and sneaked up to the girl's bedroom window.

Matters only got better when Candace felt the bottom of said window and discovered it was unlocked. Her long neck allowed Candace to poke most of her head into Gretchen's room.

"Psst. Hey, sleepyhead," she teased, not sure what to expect.

Gretchen unleashed a girlish scream and started flinging her pillow at Candace's face. "What are you doing here? Why are you in my room?" The Fireside Girl cried, not ceasing to stop hitting the intruder. Candace backed out of the window, laughing it up.

"Ha! That was great! Man, that was so worth it," she noted, "I'm so doing that again."

* * *

Day 9

Next on the list was the Sweetwater house. At the same time the next morning, Candace pulled her bike around to meet Adyson's window which, unlike Gretchen's, was locked. Behind her sat Mrs. Sweetwater's flower garden, filled with miscellaneous round stones.

_Plink! Plink!_ After seven or eight pebbles thrown against the glass, Adyson opened up. "Who goes - Candace?"

"Boo," the teen chortled, and slinked away. Adyson closed the pane, trying to figure out what happened.

* * *

Day 12

The next few days went by in a similar manner. Milly wasn't at her house in the morning, having slept over at Katie's. (Candace celebrated her two-for-the-price-of-one deal with a movie that day.) And she was pretty sure she traumatized Holly.

A yearning to learn everything that happened that day led Candace to check out the news and weather. When nothing she didn't already know came on, she sat there and flipped channels for a bit eventually finding herself watching some guess-the-word game show. She was about to turn it off and walk away completely, but the amount of prize money intrigued Candace. She watched intently, taking notes.

* * *

Day 13

The next day, Candace put on a fresh red shirt and white skirt and made her way to the signups for Word of Wealth. A fifteen minute wait and ten dollars admitted her to see the head of auditions.

"Next," the man called, and Candace introduced herself politely. The man fixed his glasses and inspected her. "And how old are you, Miss Flynn?" He asked.

"I'm, uh..." She spotted a sign with a series of rules printed on it. "...Eighteen?" It was almost a question.

"I must be mistaken, but you look a lot younger than that," the man warned, "May I see some identification?"

Candace bit her lip. "Tomorrow," she said hastily, fleeing the scene.

* * *

Day 14

"May I see some identification?"

Candace handed the man a card, hoping he wouldn't read too much into it. "This is a learner's permit," he observed. Candace buried her head in her hands.

* * *

Day 15

"May I see some identification?"

"Aw, who needs identification?" Candace remarked. "Do I really not look like a mature eighteen-year-old with a real driver's license and her own credit card and everything? Look-" she removed a tape measure from her handbag, which she didn't often use but was grateful to have now. "I'm five-foot-ten!"

When she looked up to see the tape measure had an extra two inches on her, she corrected it. "Five-foot-eight."

The man looked at her flatly. "You see that over there?" He asked, pointing to a space behind him.

"The Giant Floating Baby Head?"

"Precisely. It's just as tall as you are, but I wouldn't admit it. Good day."

* * *

Day 21

Candace sighed. "Okay, twelfth time's a charm," she muttered, entering the line again. When she was asked her age, she tried something new and told the truth. "I'll be fifteen in July," she explained.

The man stared at her, unimpressed. "Aren't you a little young to be signing up for a game show that you _clearly_ have to be eighteen or older to enter?"

"Yes... Yes, I am," Candace squeaked.

A few seconds passed, and the man started to smile. "I like your moxie, kid," he started. "Hey, Fred, come here! Get this girl on television!"

_Yes!_ Candace thought excitedly, _It works for Phineas all the time, why shouldn't it work for me?_

_Wait a second... What was the word again?_

* * *

Day 23

"Looks like Candace just fell into the pit of poor punctuation!" The announcer called, "In order to get out, she'll have to guess a word starting with the letter of her choice. Candace, which letter would you like?"

"A" hadn't done her justice the day before, so she went with the default. She picked up a plastic sign with her letter on it. "Letter B, I choose you!" She exclaimed.

"B it is," the announcer said, and a lady tapped six spaces on a large touch screen. "Alright, Candace. You've got one shot at this. There's one six-letter word. It's going to set you free."

"It's going to set me free?"

"It starts with a 'B'."

"It starts with a 'B'? It goes B-U-S-T-E-D. The word is 'Busted'."

"Busted?" The crowd repeated.

"Well, let's see if she's right. Emilia?"

The woman at the screen pressed each space, slowly but surely spelling out the word. "Congratulations, Candace!" The announcer praised. "Now, you could win this right here and now by just guessing today's-"

"Ambidextrous!" Candace claimed, jabbing the light on her podium. The other contestants looked to each other in disbelief as the announcer confirmed Candace's guess.

"That's-That's correct!" He smiled, "How did you do it?"

"I've always been good at game shows," she smirked, accepting a large check with a big _$10,000_ written across the front in dark blue cursive.

"Candace Flynn, everyone!" The announcer concluded, "Give her a hand!"

* * *

Candace stepped out of the studio, grinning with victory. "Oh my gosh, Stacy!" She cried into her phone, having started a call with her BFF seconds ago. "Guess who just won $10,000 on Word of Wealth?"

Stacy's jaw dropped. "No way!" She squealed, "What are you going to do with it?"

"Ah, that's where you come in," Candace laughed, "We're going _shopping_!"

After picking Stacy up from her house, discovering she had fainted out of excitement, Candace marveled at the expanse of clothes and shoes and such that stood before her at the mall. Armed with $5,000 each, the two moved out to cover as much ground as possible. To anyone else, the shopping center was no more than just that, but to Candace and Stacy, it was their kingdom. Or queendom, if such a word exists.

Co-queen Flynn of Googleplex was currently examining a certain garment lined in denim and furnished with sequins around the hem of each pocket. Her highness had instantly fell for the jeans.

Excusing herself from co-queen Hirano of Googleplex, Candace slipped into the dressing room. The ankles were surprisingly small, she noted, poking her dainty right foot through one, and she examined the tag - no wonder, they were labeled as 'skinny'.

It wasn't often that Candace had worn a pair like this, having never actually owned one, but at this point she knew that anything was worth trying out. Until her majesty discovered that her left foot could not find its hole.

It took about ten minutes, more hair-tearing-out than necessary, and a couple of secret leg-removing maneuvers that Candace would sooner pet a spider than tell anyone, but the teen eventually made it out of the garment in one piece.

"O, great queen Flynn, what hath given you reason to take so long?" Hirano joked, appearing outside the door.

Candace scoffed, and looked away for a beat. "This is why I just stick to skirts," she remarked. "This, and the whole squirrel incident."

* * *

Day 26

Every day, she spent the money differently. Once, she treated Stacy and Jenny to a Paisley Sideburn Brothers concert, with VIP seats and backstage passes. She took Jeremy out to the most expensive diner in the Tri-State Area and shared a large dessert with him. Yesterday, she (somehow) bribed the Mysterious Force to lay off for the day with enough left over to fund her brothers' most bustable scheme yet. Her most productive idea came when she happened upon a little music store on Wrighter's Lane.

"I've always wanted to learn to play an instrument," Candace thought aloud. The bell above the door chimed as she took her money inside to browse.

"Looking for anything in specific, Miss?" A female store attendant asked, "We have a pretty wide selection."

"No, I'm just checking some things out," Candace dismissed, "I'm thinking of learning to play something, but I can't decide what."

"Well, I'll - wait a minute, aren't you the girl who won Word of Wealth?"

Candace blushed. "Um, yeah."

"You were great out there."

"Thanks," she started. "I guess 'B' is my lucky letter."

"I guess so," the attendant agreed, taking down a dark red guitar. "In that case, have you ever thought about trying the bass?"

Candace looked at the instrument, admiring its sleek design and beautiful color. "My brothers can play that, I think," she began. "I'll see if I can, too."

"Wonderful." The saleswoman in the attendant must have remembered Candace's prize, because as she rang up the guitar, she offered, "You know, we do lessons, too," with a wink.

Candace spent the better part of what would be a week perfecting her bassist skills. As time went on (for her, at least), Candace decided to try other instruments. Going by the "'B' is my lucky letter" motif, she had learned how to play the banjo, the bagpipes, the bassoon, and even the balalaika, among other 'B' instruments. The bass was still rightfully her favorite, though.

By this time, Candace had long stopped trying to revert time back to normal. Of course, she wanted it to eventually correct itself, for living by herself on a single date for all eternity would be a dreaded experience, however impossible.

There were days, though, that all Candace wanted was to go on with life. She wanted to live just like everyone else and live today as today, not yesterday. "Perfect Day" got old. Fast. She was able to play it on the bass just by her memory of the notes, with no sheet music whatsoever, and it was unbearable.

Despite this, Candace had minimal problems with going back and repeating the day. More often than not, Candace felt very fortunate to have this chance to do whatever, learn everything, and basically, seize the day, in her own somewhat twisted way. The most prominent example of this was day seventy-seven.

That was the last of her celebrations.

* * *

**Because I have nothing better to put in this author's note, here's some trivia: I chose "Perfect Day" as Candace's alarm for a reason. Yes, it's just my opinion, and yes, yours might be different and I respect that, but I just hate the song. (There's nothing immediately wrong with it, I just find it very annoying.) Making Candace hate it too has been fun. :)**


	5. Day 77: Canderemy

**So... How is everyone today? Good? Bad? I'm good, just a little nervous - listen, I had this crazy idea one day on vacation, and the writer in me couldn't resist this chapter. Don't blame me for it, but consider this a major fluff warning. Well, maybe not major - you know what? Just read and tell me what you think.**

**(Remember, this takes place before "Summer Belongs to You!")**

* * *

"Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today." -Mark Twain _(Further explained in EpicThoth3's's "Quote of the Day"; I highly recommend it)_

* * *

Day 77

_How did I do this?_ Candace thought, thinking back to the first time she experienced this day. _It's so different than what could have been done, but it's the same day. Any difference between now and the first time... I brought it about. Wow._

Candace sat the floral beach chair down on the white sands, cursing her inability to gain more muscle for times like these when she needed it - in addition to the chair, which she doubted she'll use, Candace had also carried a small cooler and her favorite red coverall. _But now that I have the chance, I'd better enjoy today. I can actually have fun for once, and tomorrow no one will think anything of it._

_I'm a genius._

Candace had a mission now. Step one, find out what Phineas and Ferb were planning on doing. Step two, join them; and step three, if possible, spend more time with Jeremy. _Can't have too much of that_, Candace thought shamelessly.

"Candace?"

Oh, and step four: Put Suzy in her place. Or avoid her entirely. Hopefully the first one.

"What do you want, Suzy?" Candace asked nicely. Yes, she's onto her now; act all innocent, just like Suzy does, then turn around and when she least expects it, strike with all the bent-up fear and humiliation the girl caused, and exact revenge. It was already starting to work.

"Do you want to make a sandcastle with me?" Suzy asked. _Wow, she's good at this act_, Candace noticed, and lucky for her, Candace didn't have to answer.

"I can help you with that," Mrs. Johnson offered, "Candace, you go have fun."

"Thanks, Mrs. Johnson," the teen offered cheerily. Looks like it's going to be the second one.

_Oh well. Hey, look! It's Jeremy!_

Said boy was wading around in the waist-deep parts of the water. "Hi!" Greeted Candace, "Might I ask-" she looked around nervously for a certain Fireside Girl, "Whatcha doin'?"

Jeremy smiled, explaining in the same singsong rhythm, "Enjoying the be-each. How about you?"

"Well, you know, just hanging out. Chillin'. Hey, have you by any chance seen my brothers anywhere?"

"Yeah, they went out to that sandbar with their surfboards and some weird metal box thing. Why do you ask?" The last sentence was tainted with a hint of sarcasm that showed that Jeremy knew exactly why she was asking.

"Oh, just curious," Candace tried to explain with as little nerve as she could muster. She was beginning to feel that urge again, that thing inside her that made her so determined to bust her brothers. Candace tried as best she could to shrug it off, to let her Jeremy-obsessed self overpower her busting-obsessed self, to convince herself that if she was to bust her brothers today, it would never count in the end, so why bother trying? Sometimes this was easier said than done, though, but Candace was strong and knew she was strong, and she willed herself to get her act together enough to enjoy a bust-less day for once. "So, you like the ocean?" She asked with renewed vigor.

"It's always nice to just cool off in the water a bit," Jeremy started, "Maybe jump some waves. It's... Peaceful."

Peaceful. Yeah, peaceful. Not a word that Candace was used to or really understood. Now, however, even Candace saw this kind of peace that her crush was speaking of. She almost liked the whole idea of simply experiencing the surrounding area, of enjoying time that lacked activity, but that sort of feeling was quite different from what she was used to and a more childlike part of Candace wasn't quick to put up with that. So, what did she do? That was easy. She gave Jeremy a playful splash.

"Hey, watch it," the blonde teen warned in mock anger before returning the favor. They both laughed and continued to fool around until Jeremy asked, "Want to go in farther?"

"Oh, sure," Candace replied, remembering her more-than-decent swimming abilities. "I'll race you to the sandbar!"

And with that challenge, Candace took off, grateful that the ocean was calm. She could go faster if the waves weren't constantly threatening to pull her away from shore. "Wait, get back here!" Her unfortunate crush hollered after the ambitious teen.

"Ha... You can't... Catch me!" Candace taunted. She looked back and found that the statement was true. Jeremy arrived on the sandbar moments after Candace did, and they looked each other in the eyes for some quiet seconds before they both started giggling like five-year-olds who just gave their dog a makeover. They could have stood there for who-knows-how-long if a certain nasally voice hadn't interrupted the two.

"Hey, Candace," Phineas smiled, "How's it, Jeremy?"

"Oh, we're just fine," explained the latter, "What are you up to out here?"

"Well, we've been thinking, and Ferb and I figured it was about time to live up to our theme song. So, using a generator that emits frequencies similar to those produced by the average earthquake, we're going to finally surf a tidal wave!"

"Earthquakes?" Candace asked, alarmed, "Tidal waves? That's-That's dangerous! What are you thinking?" As much as Candace wanted to have fun with her brothers this time, and as much as she understood that no danger could harm anyone after the end of the day, Candace was still a human with human instincts, and the idea of humongous waves and a terrible deadly undertow did not sit well with the teen.

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about, Candace," explained the boy, "Our surfboards are equipped with gyroscopic stabilizers that will allow for a protective force field to appear around us if necessary. Before we launch, we're going to warn everyone else to get out of the water. That won't be for another few hours, though, so there's plenty of time to hang out in the water. The generator will need time to warm up."

Candace sighed. "Well, if you're confident that no one will be hurt by this, then, uh, have fun."

"Alright. See you two later!" Phineas called, walking away.

"Really, Candace?" Jeremy asked, quite surprised at her reaction. "Usually you'd be out to get your mother by now. You know she's right at the shore, right?"

"Ye-Yeah, I know..." Candace explained, "But I can't bust them today. I have to tell you something. I've told you this about fifty times already, but whatever. I'll explain again.

"I've been reliving the same day over and over again. Today, I have been in an air-conditioned convenience store,on Word of Wealth, at a Paisley Sideburn Brothers concert, in a little music shop learning how to play the banjo, and this time, to this beach out here with you. Every night, I go to bed with the knowledge of exactly what will happen in the morning. I even know how you're going to react to this explanation."

As Jeremy started talking, Candace continued to say his exact words. "Candace, don't take this the wrong way, but - wha..?"

The only one who stopped was Jeremy. Candace kept up her accurate recital of what her crush was going to say.

"-But I think you may want to stay out of the sun for a while. It's true, Jeremy. Please believe me, please! You know I wouldn't lie about that."

Before revealing his stance, Jeremy asked, cautiously, "Have I all the other times?"

"Well, I think you know the answer to that question."

Jeremy looked down. "I-I think I'm going to grab-"

"-A lemonade? Don't worry, I know that you believe this, and I think no less of you because of it. Come on, let's go get those lemonades and go back to being friends. Is that cool?"

"Yes... That's cool. Yeah. I won't make this any harder for you."

Leaving the sandbar was easier than Candace and Jeremy had anticipated. The waves that formed along the crest of the water had grown considerably larger, and with their mild experience in the art, the two body boarded back to shore - but it was not without difficulty. Candace's hair lost its part entirely, and Jeremy ended up with a noseful of salt water.

"Ugh, I feel like I just got a really wet and salty cold," Jeremy complained, "Let's hope these taste better." As he said this, he tossed a lemonade to Candace.

"Yeah, let's hope so - hey, Phineas and Ferb filled that cooler, right?"

"Well, your family brought it and you didn't fill it, so probably. Is there a problem with that?"

"Uh, there might be. Watch this," Candace explained, and shook the drink vigorously for a few moments while Jeremy watched, curiosity in his eyes.

Finally, Candace opened the container to see her suspicions confirmed; when she did so, the lemonade fled it in a bright streak of unlikely carbonation. "See?" Candace gloated, "Carbonated lemonade. Gets 'em every time."

"Wow, you must know a lot about... About today. Have you been here before? Do you know what my next sentence is going to be?"

"No, actually. This is the first time I took us to the beach," Candace explained, "The first day, we were at my backyard right about now. Phineas and Ferb organized a neighborhood picnic for Fathers' Day. I'll be honest though, this time is my favorite so far."

"Glad to hear it," Jeremy happily contributed. "Let's go back out when we're done with these - carbonated lemonades, you said?"

"Yep," confirmed Candace, "And let's. Can't wait to see what happens."

It would not be sufficient to say that Candace and Jeremy simply went back out into the water and swam for a while. To say that Candace and Jeremy dove back into the ocean and had the time of their lives by splashing each other (and the occasional stranger), treading water until their legs were shot, tossing (and eventually losing) a throwing disk, talking, joking, and dreaming about the future (should it exist) would be closer to accuracy. Multiply that by a few hours and exponentially growing waves, and you have the majority of one of Candace's best times experiencing that day. Soon, the sky had grown dark and the water was powerful enough to pull someone under for a nearly frightening amount of time. Which it proceeded to do at such a crucial moment that it endangered the lives of two rather important people. They were fine after the wave, but the result of the chain reaction it started is another story.

And the two people, as you may have guessed, went by the names of Candace Flynn and Jeremy Johnson. It went something like this:

"So did we catch the bus, or were we stranded in Seattle for the rest of the day?"

"Yes and no. We ended up taking a - hey, what's going on over there?" Candace asked, pointing to two specs in the distance. To Candace, Phineas and Ferb floating on their surfboards looked like triangular and rectangular dots a quarter of the way out to the horizon.

Phineas pulled out a blowhorn and gave the warning he promised earlier. "May I have everyone's attention, please?" He started.

Candace couldn't hear the rest of the warning, for as soon as she turned around, a colossal wave took her and Jeremy under. _I don't know, Phineas_, she sarcastically thought, May _you have everyone's attention?_

Well, that's what Candace was trying to think when her head hit the ground. She found that the water had been entering her system from every place on her head that it could; it felt to the teen like the water was trying to climb inside of her.

Her eyes clamped shut, her ears underwent a popping sensation, and she felt like her lungs had experienced a flood. As soon as she found her bearings, Candace's feet finally touched the ground and she pushed up, out of the water, breaking the surface, freeing herself, letting go of the water to find air, oh sweet, sweet air...

Gasping, dripping, and shaking the salt from his hair, Jeremy resurfaced to find a similar feeling. "Bah!" He cried, "What... Just happened?"

"I don't know," Candace replied between coughs. She rubbed her face, brought her hair back to its proper place, and massaged her eyes open. "But maybe we should get into the shore. Remember what Phineas and Ferb said they were going to do?"

"What's that?"

"They said that they were making a... A..."

"Excuse me?" Jeremy asked, confused, and turned around to face the ocean and what had caused Candace to trail off. By the time he saw it, he knew it was too late to try to escape. "Oh, no..." Jeremy gasped, "This isn't happening. Not now."

The tidal wave had started small, like every other one, but what made it different was the fact that it had grown taller rather than closer to the shore, and it had formed way out into the sea, close to the location of Candace's brothers. It was a monster, towering over anyone still in the water (which, at this point, was only Candace and Jeremy). A few quick mental calculations told the redhead that swimming to the shore would prove ineffectual.

And that was Candace's whole world at that moment: the beach behind her, Jeremy in front of her, and doom in front of Jeremy. It was horrible.

"Candace?" Jeremy asked over his shoulder, "Have you ever, you know, not made it today and come back alive?"

"I think I understand your question," Candace said, her voice bristled in fear. "And no, so far I haven't."

"Then, I'll guess we'll see what happens," Jeremy replied. The wave was almost there, nearly taking the teenagers under. Jeremy turned back to Candace and added, "That's about all we can do."

Jeremy disappeared after that comment, for he had been swallowed up by the tidal wave. "No, Jeremy!" Candace cried, knowing that she had lost the boy, but she could hardly make it through the two words before she, too, was taken under.

_Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up!_ Candace pleaded to herself, _Come on, this has to be a dream, all a dream, just wake up, and I don't care what day it is, just get out of here, out of now!_

_Wait a sec_, she realized after being swept off of her feet, _This is all my brothers' fault! My doofus brothers, those doofuses... If I make it out of here they're going to be so busted..._

Candace was completely underwater now, as was Jeremy, and neither of them knew where the other was. Neither of them could breathe. And neither of them had any idea that they would experience what came next that day, especially with each other.

Those fleeting thoughts about her doofus brothers were the last thing Candace thought before she felt something press up against her body. At first, she was terrified - after all, what is there to bump into when you're floating around somewhere inside a tidal wave? A shark, maybe?

Well, this thing was no shark. It was less scaly, and it didn't have as many teeth; this Candace knew for sure when whichever force brought them together also forced their heads closer.

_Oh, my gosh_, Candace thought, _You had better be Jeremy, mysterious creature, because there is __no way__ I'm kissing a shark right now!_

At this, Candace realized she had not only lost her footing entirely (And was having her first kiss - under a tidal wave!) but that air was being pulled from her system, rapidly. She grabbed onto whomever had ran into her with her arms, and started kicking madly with her exhausted legs, but her efforts to survive were futile. The ocean had brought the two people together, but now it was the deciding factor in whether or not they actually lived to tell about it.

_Phineas and Ferb, this is all your fault_, Candace specified, _You doofuses, those doofuses, I love them..._

And that was the last thing that went through Candace's mind before her entire world stopped.

* * *

"Oh, my gosh! Is that Jeremy?" Suzy cried, seeing the bodies of Candace her and brother, the former's arms wrapped around the other, wash up on the shore after Phineas and Ferb had landed safely there.

She, the boys, her parents, Linda, and Lawrence gathered around the teenagers, looks of horror dancing across the faces of the crowd. Phineas and Ferb instinctively ran towards them to start performing CPR. They pressed themselves against Candace and Jeremy, listening for a heartbeat. If Candace had one, it was drowned out by all the water in her lungs. Jeremy stirred and stood up, shaky. The boys helped him stand and stepped back to let their parents in.

Candace didn't wake up, however. No one spoke, except for Suzy's mutter of, "I... Have failed." Aftershock waves crashed down in mourning. Lawrence walked off and dialed 9-1-1.

Missuses Flynn-Fletcher and Johnson held their children's hands, eyes filled with tears. Five solid minutes passed before Phineas whispered, inspecting the ground, "This was my fault."

Seven heads turned to face him. "It was my idea to try surfing the tidal wave. I should have gave a better warning, or have just... Not done it at all, really..."

Through welled-up tears, Linda snapped, "You did _what_!?"

"Woah, I, uh, relax, she-she's not-"

"What are you saying? _You_ did this?"

Phineas stammered, ashamed, "Well, yeah, but-"

"How? _Why_ would you make something so _dangerous_!?" Linda had stood up, glaring at her son through blurry, furious eyes. Suzy broke down, bawling.

"I didn't mean anything by it-"

"And you!" She pointed a shaky hand towards Ferb. "Were you helping him?"

The boy just looked down, hiding his face.

"_Answer me_."

"Y-Yes, Mum..."

"She can't die!" Phineas finally cried out, "She's not dead, okay?"

"Phin, your sister just got wiped out by _your_ tidal wave," Lawrence reminded him. "This is no time for denial."

"It's not denial, I'm serious," Phineas insisted, "Given the circumstances, it's physically impossible for her to die."

"...And how's that?" Mr. Johnson inquired, "How could you be so sure?"

"It's simple when you think about it," started the redhead, holding his arms up in defense. "The story's rated K+. There's no character death."

Everyone looked back at the girl, laying helpless on the sand. Could it be possible..?

"Then you'd better hope the ambulance shows up soon. Do you understand how serious this is? She could be in a coma for the rest of the summer!" Linda ranted. She sighed, the tears still coming. "Phineas and Ferb, I'm sorry, but you are hereby and officially busted."

To the dismay of everyone already conscious (and most logic), Candace shot up. "Wha-" she started having a coughing fit, which turned into a series of hacks and splutters to get all the water out. "_What?_" She croaked, once half able to speak.

"Candace!" Everyone shouted, drowning her once again, this time with attention. Pain rushed to her arms and upper torso as she struggled to pick herself up. People flooded her with questions and comments as vision returned to her eyes.

"Are you hurt?"

"What happened?"

"Thank the stars!"

"Can you breathe?"

"There's an ambulance on the way."

"Is there sand in your bathing suit?"

"Told you there was no character death!"

"Can you hear us?"

As if in answer to the last question, Candace tilted her head to the right and tapped her left ear a few times, pouring a cartoonishly large amount of seawater from it. By the time she was finished with her left, she was sitting in a puddle. She shook herself like a dog and, feeling faint, dropped to the ground again. She closed her eyes and groaned. "Where are the lifeguards?" She asked.

"They ushered everyone out of the water when I gave the signal," Phineas explained.

"Unh," Candace moaned again. "Why do I hear sirens?"

"The ambulance! They're here!" Mrs. Johnson announced, and everyone but her, Candace and Jeremy ran to it.

Candace opened her eyes again. "Why are they here? Oh, no, don't tell me Jeremy's hurt-" she started hacking again.

The boy's mother sat her son back down and grasped his hand. "Don't either of you worry," she assured, "You'll be just fine, now that the medics came. Oh, Linda's calling me. I have to go."

Behind her head, Candace felt the footfalls of Mrs. Johnson fade as the woman ran to meet the doctors. She was too weak to move, but not enough to feel Jeremy tracing circles on her forehead with his finger. "Candace," the teen choked, "Are you okay?"

"Mph," she replied.

"You took quite the beating out there. Once I went under, I just kinda floated around for a while until I felt something pushing me up. We broke the surface at the top of the wave, and I never actually lost consciousness, but you were out like a light before you even left the water."

Candace's eyes drooped closed as Jeremy continued to pet her head. "And I think I kissed a shark," he said, half-laughing.

"Mm. You, too?" Candace asked, not comprehending the information she had just received.

Jeremy, on the other hand, was able to put two and two together. "What do you mean?" He inquired, ceasing to pet Candace's head. "Are you suggesting..?"

"Suggesting what?" Urged the girl, a delirious smile spreading across her face, eyes still closed.

"I think... I think it was you that I kissed under there."

Candace tried her hardest to bolt up, but could only prop herself up on her arm. "Okay, pour some water in my mouth so I can do a spit-take," she pronounced.

Jeremy chortled. "It would explain a lot," he said, "I-I think it was you who pushed me up. And I was able to breathe for a few more seconds after. How can you hold that much air?"

"I'm a good swimmer," was all she said. She lied back down on the sand, closing her eyes again.

"Candace," Jeremy started after a few minutes of silence. It hadn't been the most romantic sit-on-the-beach-at-night kind of moment, what with half of the pair being unable to move, but to Candace, it was enough.

Jeremy breathed a nervous sigh. "I'm not completely sure that it was you." He bent over the girl, offering, "Do you want to find out?"

Candace knew what that meant, and she smiled widely. "Yes. Just, don't turn into a shark."

The two were inches away when they were interrupted. "Find what out?" Phineas asked, walking over to them.

Jeremy reverted back to his position next to the boy's sister. "None of your concern," he dismissed.

"That's cool. Anyway, the medics are here and they want to see you. Really soon." A sense of urgency dripped into Phineas's voice with each word. He and Jeremy each grabbed one of Candace's arms and helped her to her feet.

"Owwww..." She groaned, "My head hurts. Walking hurts. My legs feel funny."

"They're just numb," Jeremy explained. Her parents reached the shore and each one wrapped one of Candace's arms around their opposite shoulder.

It was then, while Linda and Lawrence dragged her feet along the warm sand, that Candace realized what she had just experienced: what her brothers were chasing all summer. She had the time of her life. She spent the whole day with Jeremy and got the attention she wanted from her parents, with a side of busted brothers. And - if she heard correctly - Suzy had cried over her presumed death, even after Jeremy was safe, something she didn't expect at all from the child. Everything she could ever hope to accomplish that summer, she had done all in one day.

Best. Day. Ever.

* * *

Day 78

_It's a perfect day! It's in the mid-70's. Humidity is sixty percent..._

"No! Not _this_ song!" Candace screamed, knocking the alarm clock to the floor. She buried her head in her pillow and cried.

* * *

**...It wasn't too bad, was it? I'm sorry, I really am, but let's face it: There's an inexplicable lack of Canderemy on this site. I'm glad (and ashamed at the same time) to have written some myself to combat that.**

**Insert akward request for reviews here.**


	6. Day 104: Father's Day Once Again

**Hey guys, sorry for taking two forevers to update this - at least, in comparison with my regular updating schedule - see, I've been having some technical difficulties lately and my computer won't turn on, so writing has gotten very hard for me. No matter though, this chapter's (finally) here and that's all that matters now. :)**

* * *

Day 104

_It's a perfect day! It's-_

Candace had long since learned to disable the alarm sooner than she had been used to, for she would have gone crazy if it were any other way. She had recently been very inactive in the time she was given, discovering that if that one day wasn't enough to break the cycle, nothing would do it. So, figuring she had all of eternity to do so, the past month (or what would have been one) was spent doing the opposite of what anyone in the Flynn-Fletcher household would do: absolutely nothing.

Today, she had a change of heart. Whatever had kept her from activity before had fled like waves retreating back into the ocean. Candace, her stubborn self again, got dressed and headed downstairs; who knows? Maybe Phineas and Ferb could humor her crushed soul.

"How you doing, Candace?" Phineas asked at the conclusion of his phone call.

The teen fought back annoyance at the question, having been asked it several times before. "Okay, I guess. What are you up to?"

"We're just gonna make Dad something to eat and ask him what he'd like to do today. It's Fathers' Day, you know-"

"I _know_!" Candace shouted, thinking that if anyone were to, she would. It had been Fathers' Day for Candace-didn't-know-how-long by now. "I-I mean, yeah, I know. So, toast, huh? I thought you would go for something a little more, y'know, _Phineas and Ferb. _Bring him his breakfast and do something _special_."

Phineas looked at the bag of bread in his hands. "You are absolutely right, Candace," he started, "Ferb, you got the remote for the breakfast machine?"

The green haired boy opened a drawer and retrieved the control.

"Breakfast machine? Do I even want to know?"

"Relax, Candace," Phineas instructed, "Just let us take care of it. You should go get Mom now. She said she'd take you out to get something for Dad yesterday, remember?"

Yesterday? Which yesterday? "Um, sure. You just do what you do."

"Great." As Candace left, she heard her brother exclaim, "Okay, Ferb, let's get this early morning party stared."

* * *

Candace peered into her father's den, watching him play an online flight simulator with her grandfather and converse with her brothers. She exhaled deeply, and made her way into the room, Linda trailing close behind. "Happy Fathers' Day, Dad," she greeted, smiling at the man in front of her. Reginald called her attention and she repeated the gesture in her best English accent.

"Hello, Reg. Are you having a 'Grand'-Fathers' Day?"

Candace had never wanted more to strangle the corny greeting-card humor out of her mother - _Surely _that_ would break the cycle,_ she thought, sarcastic. Fortunately, her grandfather had found it funny, and the rest of the family continued the conversation. Linda led her daughter out of the room, leaving the boys to their own Fathers' Day fun. _More fun than I'm going to have_, Candace thought, getting into the passenger side of her mother's car.

"They're going to make something even better than anything we can give Dad," Candace stated. Linda didn't have to ask who 'They' were, for even though it was still early in the summer, she had heard many a story about Phineas and Ferb and all they had done. It baffled Linda sometimes, the amount of imagination that her children possessed.

"Candace, don't worry about the boys. You can get your father anything you like. Within _reason_, that is."

The teen sighed. "It's a biplane," she explained, "They are going to construct a replica of grandpa's plane and fly it around. You'll see." A moment's pause let Candace remember what happened last time they made the plane. "Actually, you won't."

"Oh, Candace, that's a great idea! I have a miniature biplane in the antique shop somewhere. I was going to give it to your father for our anniversary, but-"

"No, I mean a real, life-size, working biplane that looks just like grandpa's and it has rocket engines, and-and other stuff."

"Let's just go get that model. He's going to love it."

Candace sighed again. Maybe getting up wasn't such a good idea after all.

* * *

The Flynn-Fletcher Antique shop hasn't changed much since its opening years ago. Whether that be because Phineas and Ferb's parents were there all day and the Mysterious Force wouldn't let an invention through the door or because the irony of the business of the parents of the inventors being a relatively normal antique shop was worth keeping, there were boxes collecting dust in storage and a well-worn bell above the door. The counter was made of stained wood in need of another coat and the walls were as old as the items brought into and out of the building which they formed.

"Candace," Linda started, casting a hand towards the ceiling. "I think I hid the model up on that shelf."

"Okay. Is-Is there a ladder around here, or something..?"

"There should be one in the back room. I'm going to see if I can't find a box to put the plane in." Then, Linda turned on her heel and began her search, paying as much attention to Candace as a child would to a history lesson when there were cookies in the same room.

There was no ladder in the back room like her mother claimed, but Candace found a little stool that would suffice in letting at least one of them reach their prize. She picked up the piece of furniture and stalked back into the shop, only to find something completely unexpected.

Linda was singing.

_How many times have I told you?  
__I don't believe it's true  
__Every day it's the same thing:  
__"Come look, see what my brothers do!"_

_If I haven't seen yet, I never will.  
__Is this a dream you must fulfill?_

_Or are they really there,  
__Building rollercoasters?  
__That would be so unfair,  
__That weight upon your shoulders!  
__I hope you know I care,  
__But even though you're older_

_You can't control 'em..._

_How many days have I come home  
To find them all alone  
Sitting out in the backyard  
Not in some other time zone?_

_If I haven't seen it yet, I never will.  
Can't bring myself to believe you, honey, but still-_

_Are they really there,  
Building rollercoasters?  
That would be so unfair,  
That weight upon your shoulders!  
I hope you know I care,  
But even though you're older,_

_If I haven't seen it yet, __I never will..._

Candace stood awkwardly in the doorway, holding the stool. When she thought about it, Candace discovered it shouldn't have been such a surprise; after all, Lindana was a big hit in her time. It was really the lyrics that paralyzed the teen. Could it have been so that her mother did or wanted to believe her claims about her brothers? It was possible. Candace shifted her weight and cleared her throat.

"Candace!" Linda cried, "You startled me. Did you find a ladder?"

"Not exactly. Will this do?" Candace asked in reference to the stool.

Her mother exhaled. "I suppose." She took the stool from Candace. "Here, let me see if I can reach it."

Candace hung her head and hoisted herself up to sit on the countertop. "Mom?" She asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Do you think I'm, you know... Crazy?"

Linda froze. "I don't-I don't think... Candace, you know I love you..."

"That's not what I asked," the girl pushed, her voice getting louder. "Do you think I'm crazy? Yes, or no?"

The woman resumed her search for the model, her fingers brushing against various collectables. "Well..." She began, carefully choosing her words. "Look through my eyes for a moment. Every day, I get a call that my sons are doing something totally impossible - 'Mom, Phineas and Ferb are battling space aliens!' 'Mom, Phineas and Ferb made a three-dimensional game of solitaire!' - And whenever I see them, they are doing what every other kid in Danville would do on summer vacation. Would you think you're crazy, too?"

Candace paused. "Prob'ly."

"So, if I were to say that I truly believed you were mentally insane and in desperate need of a doctor and less candy, you would find that justifiable?"

"...I guess."

"You wouldn't like it though, especially if everything you're saying is true. So, you should be happy to know that I don't really think you're... _That_ crazy."

"Really?"

Linda nodded, content. "Course, I don't believe a word about what you say the boys do everyday. But, remember that I grew up with Auntie Ti at my throat, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't sometimes exaggerate what she did to me. Ah, there it is." She withdrew the replica from its hiding place on the shelf and stepped off the stool. "What I wasn't kidding about though, was the candy. You can afford to lay off."

For the first time that day, Candace laughed. "Okay, Mom. Here, I found a little gift box. Let's go home and give this to Dad."

"Okay, let's go. He's going to love it."

"You said that already."

"I know."

* * *

The ladies pulled up to the house, and out the window, Candace saw her father, grandfather, and two brothers pull in for a landing. She had gone with them once, just to see how it felt, and it didn't end well. Her incessant screaming stopped their attempted song before the first chorus.

They strolled into the house and out the back door, just as Reg took off again in the airplane. "Hi, honey! Hi, boys! So how was your day?" Greeted Linda.

"Oh, the boys and I spent a wonderful day flying with Father!" Lawrence explained.

Candace hoped that her mother would see what this meant, but that Flynn obliviousness made the comment go right over her head. "Ah, the internet is a wonderful thing," Linda quipped. Candace remembered seeing her father on the flight simulator that morning.

"Well, yes, I... S'pose it is."

Linda let her husband's comment go, not noticing that she misinterpreted it. She continued, "Well, here's something special from Candace and me."

Candace, sensing that was her cue, smiled and handed over the gift box. "Here you go!" She exclaimed quickly.

"Oh, my!" Lawrence beamed, retrieving the box's contents. "An exact replica of Father's biplane! Oh, it's perfect!" He embraced the teen, clearly grateful for the gift. It didn't compare to what her brothers could have pulled off, but Candace saw how genuinely happy it made her father. "Thank you so much, sweetheart!"

Then, everything that happened the past 100+ days came together and hit her. For someone who lived in Fathers' Day for so long, she had been considerably unshowing of it. "Happy Fathers' Day, Dad," she smiled, and her mother and brothers joined the hug.

* * *

_It's a perfect day! It's in the mid-70's. Humidity is sixty percent..._

Candace groaned and reached for the alarm clock, punching the 'Off' button. She pushed herself up, glaring at the machine and the table on which it rested. It was always the same - alarm at the end, plugged into the wall, box of tissues next to it (just in case), her cell hooked up to its charger, the broken pencil next to that...

Wait.

That wasn't there yesterday.

Candace thought back to the last night. It was immensely similar to the night of Day 2, when she had told her brothers her problem.

Wait again.

She had told them yesterday, too.

_Oh. My. Gosh._

Slowly, the pieces fell into place. Candace picked up the pencil, all two halves of it, making sure it wasn't an illusion._  
_

_So, I broke the cycle, huh?_ She thought, not entirely believing it. _With yesterday? _That_ was what it took? I learned how to play twenty instruments, I busted Phineas and Ferb multiple times, I even played wingwoman for Isabella, and _that_ is what I live to tell about? How does that make any-_

The answer felt like a slap in the face to the teen. The difference between yesterday and all the other yesterdays was that last time, she had actually acknowledged the fact that it was Fathers' Day and that she was obligated to act upon that. She felt cold for not thinking of this before.

There was one thing that still bothered the teen. She curiously turned her alarm back on, tuned into the radio, and suffered through the rest of "Perfect Day."

"Yes, that was 'Perfect Day' preformed by a local pop group who has yet to announce their name to the public, for some reason," started the disk jockey at the radio station. "It occurs to me that we played this exact song at this exact time yesterday morning, but there's nothing we can do about that, right? Anyway, thanks for listening and tell all your friends about Station 94.76! Now, here's a new release from another local group, Jeremy and the Incidentals!"

Candace's mouth dropped to the floor as the first chords of "Breath" sounded from her alarm. When she picked it up, it formed a smile so wide it could take on that of a hippopotamus. At the conclusion of the song, Candace turned the machine back off and bellowed, in her signature way of doing so, "PHINEAS AND FERB!"

* * *

~Epilogue~

"Hey, Candace!"

That couldn't be right. Candace turned towards the sound of the voice, her unlikely suspicions confirmed. "Jeremy!" She cooed, abandoning the song to meet her (as of today) official boyfriend.

"You came home early," she observed, embracing him.

"Well, I missed my girlfriend," Jeremy smiled, the multi-colored party lights making his eyes dance in the summer night.

For a moment, Candace thought back to what her stepbrother had told her once. "If you love someone, you have to meet them halfway."

At the time, Candace dismissed the words of wisdom as her brother looking for attention. After all, what would he know about love? Did Ferb ever look into a girl's eyes and see in them beauty and strength? Did he ever experience heartbreak? If Candace were to learn that he had done both earlier that very day, she'd have eaten her shoe. Now, though, she took the words to heart and came upon a conclusion. Jeremy had travelled halfway around the world to meet her - even without a vegetable oil-operating airplane or platypus-themed hover jet.

Jeremy had loved her.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that!" Candace cried, lost in the music, the party, the summer, the 40-hour day (the second longest day she had experienced).

"Besides, you forgot something in France," Jeremy informed her, the mischief in his voice just missing its target.

"I did? What?" Candace asked, suddenly worried. Had she dropped something important? She shifted her leg and felt her cell phone still resting in her pocket. It wasn't that, and Candace couldn't remember bringing any other items of importance on the trip, so...

Jeremy didn't reach into his pockets or a suitcase to retrieve this 'forgotten' thing. Instead, he closed his eyes - closed his eyes? Why would he close his eyes? - and reached behind his girlfriend's back, embracing her in a hold she wasn't familiar with. "This," he stated, and brought them together for what was to be their real first kiss.

Candace's mind exploded. Not really, but it may as well have. The first thoughts she had were of horror, remembering how different this felt from the time in the tidal wave. _I really was kissing a shark!_ She panicked.

Candace suddenly felt selfish, realizing that shark or no shark, she and Jeremy were now officially official. She leaned in and kissed back, her dreams of a future alive and growing, fast.

Candace loved Jeremy. Today, she learned that Jeremy loved Candace back. And now, she realized that - minus the salt - both of Candace's first kisses were the same.

Best. Day. Ever.

* * *

**...So, I want to apologize again for being so late. I'm actually typing this on a borrowed tablet because I'm too stubborn to type the whole thing up on my smartphone. Moving on.**

**I've always wanted Linda to sing about her side of her relationship with Candace and the whole 'busting' thing (I'm surprised she hasn't). Also, parts of the dialogue from this chapter were taken from the actual episode, and I don't own them. So, not to end this story with a disclaimer, I say this: Review or you get a Groundhog's Day! No, you don't, but still...**

**Carpe Diem, Fanfictioners.**


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